Single Side Band Radio SSB

Hi,

They are still required a s apart of the full GMDSS Install so I guess the answer is yes.

USCG is turning off 2182

How does one get the internet when on say a trip from the NW to Panama?

Once you get into passagemaking, you'll find many informal SSB nets, mainly structured by regions. like transatlantic net, pacific net, patagonia net, etc. You'll find the frequencies and timing easily on google or via the cruising clubs' web pages.

They are a great source of information, are surely an additional layer of safety, and we have met many nice crews and made many friends that way.

When sailing offshore, SSB for us is an important ingredient to cruising pleasure.

lobo

Hi,

By using something that can point at a satellite.

http://webnews.kvh.com/BetterBBBund...campaign=BBB&gclid=COCnhsPm-rgCFYjC3godaDAA_A

The sailing community uses SSB quite a bit. It is an excellent way to receive weather forecasts when beyond VHF range. In addition, aside from some up front equipment costs, it is a mostly free way to stay in email contact worldwide. Data plans on Sat phones can be cost prohibitive to a long term, long distance sailor. There are also a couple of frequencies that are monitored by volunteer net controllers 24-7. Its nice to know that when you are in the middle of the ocean 1000 miles from land, you can get hold of someone on the radio in case of emergency.

Hi,

The poster I quoted was asking how to get on the internet.

SSB is fine for text files and to talk to someone who also has one now the coast radio station is almost a thing of distant memory but as far as I know you cannot surf the net with one.

The German company Kiel Radio GmbH has devoleped a system, called Global Link Network which is supposed to be able to provide surfing in the internet via SSB radio. This system is operated by Swisscom in Bern, Swizerland.

I personally have my doubts, that this system can provide high speed up and download of large data on the web, but sending and receiving emails and weatherinfo or messages should be possible.

Amateur short wave radio freaks have invented all sorts of services for SSB, like SSB TV broadcast and many other services too.

Check out their website at gln-network.net for more info.

It's just a proprietary packet teletype email system with their interface to a PoP for email. They seem to use software that provides the user with a browser so that normal email programs can be used rather than the clunky old amateur radio style text based interface of old.

The bandwidth and data rate provided by SSB just can't support a modern internet connection. There are also still some regulatory issues with data rate and bandwidth that date back a few years but with new technology they may go away.

I agree. It might work for Emails and other kind of message systems. But surfing on the net with large data packages going up and down, most likely not.

The SSB band is still liked very much by skippers of larger yachts for the cost free buddy to buddy communication between ships. And it is still a valid type of communication for the circumnavigating (blow boater) community.

Our SSB transcievers are mostly used for AM radio (music) reception by the crew. For communication and the net, we use our KVH antennas and for crew communication, the Sailor Iridium system with the crews provided with prepaid Iridium packages. Works quite well and the crews are happy.

Hi,

This was posted in March by some sailors who had a go with SSB

Weather, SSB and the 21st Century | Turf to SurfTurf to Surf

Here is another good one written last year.

Wi-Fi on board, part II - Ocean Navigator - Web Exclusives 2012

Honestly the SSB or short wave radio communication is a system of the past and should be left for the radio amateur world. But when it is still installed, why not using it.

If the SSB transciever does not have the appropiate the antenna coupler and tuning system and only a simple isolated aft stay, its just a power to noise converter, as discribed in KIWIs last post. For using both the ground wave and the sky wave, you need propper antenna tuning. Maybe just to much hassle in times of SatCom systems.

We are using it, until it goes beyond repair and then it will be removed and thrown away.

Surf N' Turf had faulty equipment or faulty installation so his stuff did not work, hardly the fault of modern digital SSB radios with their automatic tuners.

Had this one on my sailboat for 14 years, works great and last a long time:


If the same sailor had a bad diesel engine he would have blogged that diesels are out-dated and electric motors are the only way to go...

Hi,

Have you used your SSB to surf the net?

Nah, never tried it. The question was about weather reports:

SSB is fine for weather reports, but I also used NAVTEX, medium freq with up to 400 mile range.

The ICOM IC M710 digital transceiver and its bigger sisters as shown in the Surf N' Turf post were (is ?) not a bad piece of kit. They used to be very common among blue water sailors and with the propper antenna setup, they worked flawless (most of the time ). The problem on smaller sailboats is the correct design of the antenna and its connection to the radio. Single mast sailboats normally use an isolated aft stay as an antenna. A ketch or schooner would use the horizontal stay between mizzen and besan mast. Accurate grounding, dipole, coupling, tuning and isolation of the stay / antenna is vital.

HF radios are still very important (and sometimes mandatory) equipment in long range aircrcraft and offshore helicopters but even here Iridium is taking over more and more.

For an long distance sailor with limited budget, IMO it is still a valid method of talking to the rest of the world from the middle of the ocean. In our times, I would not sail the seven seas without having at least an Iridium hand held phone ready to use in my reach.

But offshore surfing the internet with onboard WLAN, its either via a tracking sat antenna ($$$$) or when in line of sight with land, via an GSM emplifier in the mast and a propper contract with a local provider.

Hi,

This is the reply I posted that something needs to point at a satellite to give you internet.

Someone else replied that SSB was the way to do it.

The ensuing posts have pretty much shown that there isn't anyone out there using SSB for surfing the net.

SSB has its place and will probably continue to do so until at least I retire.

I am doing a proposal for a new vessel right now and guess what - yup you got it , it will have an SSB Radio as a mandatory part of its GMDSS installation.

We used SSB on a sailing boat. It's fine for short mails, and websites with NO images ar anything other than text. But it works fine for that and there is a big sailing community where you can find support if any problems. Consider the right antennas, isolation of the antennas, ... Check the pactor and noonsite pages for further info.